Vending machine



R. CUSICK VENDING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1919 5 sheets-sheet l Apr. 3,1923.

' R. CUSICK VENDING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1919 5 sheets-sheet 5 14130 1,Roy Gus z'c/r Witnesses Patented Apr. 3, i923.

ATNT @Ft litl ROY CUSICK, OF CARNEGIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed May 20,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROY CUsIOK, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Carnegie, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements inVending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends the provision of a vending machine, primarilyintended to vend pencils, although it is susceptible for use to vendother merchandise, one of the objects residing in the provision of anovel construction, of a coin controlled mechanism to regulate thedischarge of the merchandise from the machine. I

The invention has other objects in view which will appear as the natureand advantages of the invention are better understood from the followingdetailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,the invention residing in the construction, combination and arrangementof parts as claimed.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, like numerals ofreference indicate similar parts in the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordancewith my invention. V

Figure 2 is .a vertical central sectional view taken therethrough.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4: is a detail view of the roller.

Figure 5 is a side elevation with certain of the side plates removedshowing the normal position of the coin actuating element.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the coin controlled mechanism and thenormal position of parts.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on line- 77 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a detail view of the hopper and its associated parts.

Figure 9 is a detail view of the coin con trolled sliding plates.

A machine constructed in accordance with my invention eventuallyembodies a receptacle including side walls 10, bottom 11,

1919. Serial No. 298,505.

front and rear walls 12 and 18 respectively, and a hingedly mounted top14. The top 1 1 may be locked to the rear wall 12 as at 15, by anysuitable mechanism. It might here be stated that the receptacle may varyin size and configuration, and may be constructed from any suitablematerial without departing from the spirit of the invention. The sidewalls 10 are provided with bearings for the opposite ends of a shaft 16which extends thru the roller 17, the latter being arranged within thereceptacle for rotation. As the machine is primarily intended to vendpencils, or other articles having an analogous configuration orsubstantially so, the roller 17 is provided with a longitudinallyextending groove 18 which is normally disposed to receive an article ofmerchandise and discharge the same from the receptacle in a manner to behereinafter dmcribed. It is manifest, that the roller 17 may bedesigned, or provided with means to accommodate difi'erent articles ofmerchandise, thus rendering the machine susceptible for an unlimitednumber of uses.

Arranged within the receptacle is what I term a hopper, including afront wall 19, and a rear wall 20 which is inclined from an appropriatepoint in its height in the direction of the rear wall 13 of thereceptacle with which it contacts. The front and rear walls 19 and 20respectively are connected by the side Walls 21, and the latter aresuitably secured to the corresponding walls of the re ceptacle.Projecting forwardly from a point adjacent the lower end of the hopper,are spaced parallel shelves 22 and23 respectively, each of which has itsopposite sides suitably secured to the side walls of the receptacle. Asshown in Figure 8, the roller 17 is ar ranged to rotate between theshelves 233 and 22, the former having a curved extension 2%. partlyoverlying the roller 17, and utilized to maintain the article ofmerchandise positioned within the groove 18 as the roller is beingrotated in a direction to discharge the article from the machine. It isto be understood that the space between the front and rear walls 19 and20 respectively of the hopper adjacent the roller 17 is restricted sothat the pencils or other articles of merchandise arranged within thehopper will. be singly fed to the groove 18 of the roller.

As hereinabove stated, the roller 17 normally occupies a position withthe groove 18 arranged within the hopper, a coiled spring 25 encirclingthe shaft 16 of the roller, and having one end fixed to said shaft andits opposite end to the adjacent wall of the receptacle, the springbeing utilized to maintain the roller in the position stated.

A pair of substantially rectangular plates 26 and 27 respectively aredisposed in juxtaposition, and are connected together and with one ofthe side walls 10 of the receptacle by means of bolts or suitablefastening elements 28. The plates 26 and 27 are provided with alinedopenings 29 for the reception of one end of a shaft 16, and these platesare further provided with alined elongated slots 30 for a purpose to behereinafter set forth. A substantially triangular shaped spacing element31 is arranged between the plates 26 and 27 at one corner thereof, theelement 31 serving to hold said plates slightly spaced apart. Embracingthe shaft 16 is a collar 32 provided with an inwardly disposed lug 33which is positioned within a groove 34 in the shaft, so that the collaris fixed upon the shaft for rotation therewith. Projecting rearwardlyfrom the collar 32 is an extension 35 which acts against the coin toeffect an operation of the coin controlled mechanisrn in the manner tobe hereinafter described. The coin actuated element is illustrated inFigure 9, and includes an elongated body portion 36 arranged upon theouter side of the plate 27 for sliding movement transversely thereof.Guide pins 37 project from the plate 27 at opposite sides of the element36, to guide the latter in its adjustment. Projecting from the sides ofthe body portion 36 are studs 38 arranged to slide in the alined slots30 of the respective plates 26 and 2 The body portion 36 is providedwith a slot 39 in which one end of a spring i0 is arranged, the oppositeend of the spring being secured to a pin 41 carried by the plate 27. Thespring 40 is utilized to normally maintain the coin controlled elementin a position where the lug 42 projecting from one end thereof, engagesthe disk as, which is fixed upon the shaft 16 for rotation, therewith.The disk is cut away as at 4A; to provide the shoulders 45 and d6respectively, which latte-r cooperatewith the lug as to limit therotation of the shaft 16 inopposite directions. A plate 47 having aconfiguration5 similar to the plates 26 and j p is arranged injuxtaposition to the plate 27 and secured thereto by means of the bolts28. Manifestly, the plate 47 is employed to close the coin controlledmechanism, and isprovided with an opening 27 respectively for the r""eption of the adj acent end of the shaft 16. This opening 48 isrelatively large and shaped to provide opposed shoulders l8 adapted tobe alternately engaged by the lug e9 on one end of a crank handle 50, tolimit the movement of the handle. The side walls 10 of the receptacle,and parallel plates 26, 27 and 47 are cut away as at 51 for thereception of the coin receiving box 52 which is arranged to slide acrossthe bottom 11 of the receptacle. Any suitable locking means indicated at53 may be employed for locking the box 52 in the receptacle.

In practice, the coin of proper denomination is inserted within the coinslot 54, entering the space between the plates 26 and 27 respectively.The handle 15 is then actuated .to rotate the shaft 16, and as thecollar 32 is fixed upon this shaft for rotation therewith, the extension35 forces the coin from the position it occupies in Figure 5 beneath thestud 38 from where it has an unobstructed passage to the coin receivingbox 52. However, during the movement of the coin, under the influence ofthe extension 35, the element 36 is moved in adirection away from thedisk 13, and against the tension of the spring 40. In this position ofthe element 36, the shaft 16 may be further rotated through theinstrumentality of the handle 50, to a position where the article ofmerchandise will gravitate from the groove 18 of the roller upon theshelf 23.- The shelf 23 is arranged in a horizontal alinement'with aslot 55 in the front wall 12 of the receptacle, thru which slot thearticle of merchandise is discharged from the machine. Subsequent to therelease of the handle 50, the spring 25 functions to re turn the roller17 to its normal position,

whereupon another article of merchandise is positioned within the groove18. It is of course manifest, that after the coin has been displacedfrom its initial position by means of the extension 35, the spring tofunctions to return the element36 to its normal position in engagementwith the disk e3.

I have shown and described what I consider the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, and I desire to have it understood that I do not limitmyself in this respect, as such changes may be resorted topwhen desiredas fall within the scope of what is claimed.

What I claim is The combination of a casing," a pair of spaced parallelplatesmounted at one side of the casing forming a coin chute, a shaftrotatably mounted in the casing and having one end journaled thru saidplates, a collar mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith betweensaid plates, a disk provided with a recess mounted onthe' shaft, a coincontrolled element slidably mounted upon the outer side of one-of saidplates and for a coin placed in the chute, and means to m rotate saidshaft whereby said extension rotatably carried thereon will force thecoin 1 against the opposite projection sliding the coin controlledelement from engagement With the recess in the disk.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ROY CUSIOK.

